Samsung introduced an Ultra model to its flagship smartphone lineup two years ago, but an analogous model for laptops has never appeared – until today.
The new Galaxy Book 3 Ultra, as the name indicates, is the most powerful laptop Samsung has ever produced. It even outperforms 2021’s Galaxy Book Odyssey, a tablet intended exclusively for gaming. Samsung claims that this new model is excellent for gaming and content production, and the specifications indicate that both are well within reach.
The Galaxy Book Ultra is powered by Intel’s newest 13th-generation H-Series CPUs, with Core i7 and Core i9 variants available. These aren’t the most powerful Intel processors — that honor belongs to the Core HX-Series – but they’re not far behind. Performance should be fantastic when combined with 16 or 32GB of RAM and either the RTX 4050 or RTX 4070 from Nvidia’s latest GPU lineup.
The huge laptop has a 16in, 28801800 OLED display, with Samsung finally switching to a 16:10 aspect ratio after years of using 16:9. Although the display characteristics of the cheaper Galaxy Book Pro devices arriving alongside the Ultra are equal, this allows you somewhat more area to enjoy the 120Hz refresh rate and 500 nits of maximum brightness.
Performance is sacrificed with the Pro versions. The Book 3 Pro and Pro 360 both use Intel’s less powerful 13th-generation P-Series processors, with just Core i5 or i7 options. Instead of a separate GPU, you’ll have to make do with Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics. The 16in Pro variants are lighter and smaller than the Ultra, which requires more room to cool its components.
However, aside from the CPU and GPU options, the laptops share a lot. The only other feature that is unique to the Galaxy Book Ultra is the more modern HDMI 2.0 port (as opposed to HDMI 1.4). The Galaxy Book 3 Pro (14in and 16in) and Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 (16in) both include two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, one USB-A connector, a microSD card slot, and a 3.5mm headphone socket.
Most users will be satisfied with the Book 3 Pro or Book 3 Pro 360, which have a 1080p webcam (with auto framing, light correction, and eye contact capabilities), twin ANC microphones, and quad speakers across all versions. You may also choose between graphite and neige finishes, whereas the Ultra is only available in graphite.
The Book 3 Pro 360, as the name implies, has a touchscreen, convertible capabilities, and a S Pen pen integrated in. It’s also the only laptop in the lineup with optional 5G compatibility, which the Ultra lacks.
Every model ships with Windows 11 Home, but Samsung has introduced additional software capabilities that make Galaxy Book devices operate better with the company’s smartphones and tablets.
These include the ability to share current webpages and passwords, connect to a hotspot with a single click, and transmit RAW files directly from a Samsung phone. To assist with the latter, each new Galaxy Book 3 laptop purchase gets a free two-month membership to Adobe Lightroom.
So far, we only have pricing and availability in the United Kingdom. The Galaxy Book 3 Pro starts at £1,299, with the Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 costing at least £1,549. Both are now available for pre-order ahead of their February 17th release date. There is also a less expensive Galaxy Book 3 360 that costs £1,099 or more.
However, the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra, which starts at £2,449, will have to wait a little longer. It will be available for pre-order on February 14th, with a release date of February 22nd.
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